Steaming valve for garment presses



Sept. 8, 1931. H. G. BEEDE l STEAMING VALVE FOR GARMENT PRESSES Filed July 15, 1929 r IIIIIIIIIIII/a l@YF/V707?.

/7770 NEYS NWT/v5 ss Patented Sept. 8, 1931 PATENT OFFICE HERBERT G. BEEDE, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLND 'STEAMING VALVE FOR GARMENT PRESSES A.. Application led July 15,

rIhis invention relates to a steaming board or buck adapted tobe used individually or in co-operation with the movable pressing element of a garment pressing machine ofthe class set forth in my pending application, Serial No. 322,011, filed November 26, 1928, and refers more particularly to a means for controlling the supply of steam or other suitable fluid to the garment for the purpose of softening the same preparatory to pressing, shaping and drying the garment or other fabric. i

The steaming board or buck with which the steam controlling device is associated is provided with a steam-heated chamber and a steam-distributing chamber having steam exits in its pressing surface for the emission of steam tothe garment thereon and the main object of they present invention is to construct the controlling device in such manner lthat it may b e extended through' registering openings inthe opposite walls of the heating chamber and provided with an exit port and Fbranch inlet passages connecting the heating chamber with the distributing chamber so that the steam may pass directly from the heating chamber to said distributing chamber and thence into the garment tobe moistened.

V`Another object is to control thev inlet and exit ports or passagesby means of a slidevalve movable endwisel of and within the vvalvecase so as to open and close communi'- cation between the branch inlet passages and exit openings in the valve case.

Anotherfobject is to extend the valve'- case to the exterior of the steamingelement and to provide the external portion Vof said valve-case with means operableV at willV for opening and closing the valve.

A further object is to provide meansfor yieldingly holding the valve in its closed position. y

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the steaming element will be brought out inthe following description. Y

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the detached steam-controlling device showing one `end of the operating crank arm'in section.

1929. Serial No. 318,384.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1, showing also the adjacent portion of the steaming board or buck which may, in this instance, be the lower pressing element of a garment pressing machine.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken in the plane of line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In order that the inventionmay be clearly understood, I have shown a portion of 60 the steaming board or buck -1- having a steam-heated chamber `2 and overlyn steam-distributing chambers -3- an -3- which are'adapted to communicate with each other in the manner set forth in my pending application above referred to, the outer or upper wall of the chamber -S- being providedwith steam exits similar to that shown in my pending application.

The outer vand inner walls representing, in this instance, the lower and upper walls of the steaming board or buck, -1-`, are provided with registering openings L1- and -4:-, one of which, as-the opening 75 -4-, constitutes a substantially smooth bore while the other wall is threaded inter-` nally for receiving the threaded inner end of a valve-case -5- presently described.

This'valve-case is elongated vertically and gro is provided intermediate its ends with a cy- Y lindrical portion having its peripheral diameter substantially equal to the bore -4-` to t snugly'therein and thereby to forma substantiallyv 4steam-tightY joint therewith.

As previously stated, the inner end of the valve-case -5 is threaded externally at -6- for screw engagement with the threadedbore -4 which serves to firmly hold the valve-case in fixed operative relation` t0 90 the steaming board or t, buck 1- and to permit the steam-controlling device to be easily and quickly removed when necessary or desirable. The opposite end of the valve-case extends 95 some distance beyond the outer or lower face of the steaming board or buck 1 and is provided adjacent said outer face with a threaded portion -7- adapted to be engaged by a jam nut -8-- which alsoen- `100 gages the adjacent outer face of the steaming board -1- for additionally holding the valve case in operative position and also to reduce the liability of leakage of steam along the outside of the valve-case to the exterior of the steaming board.

The: inner end` of' the valve'case -5- is providedzwith a central lengthwise exit port -9- opening into the distributing chamber 3 and operatively connected at its inner end to one'ormore branch` openings -l0- registeringr with the steainingichaim ber -2- to permit the passage of' steam from said chamber to the exit ope1iii1g;-9- and thence into the distributing chamber 3+- when'the valve is opened;

The inner endiof the central'passage 4); issurrounded by aivalve seat 11sadjacent the outerfendsfof the branch passages l0- andladapted to be engaged ibyaslider valve -l2-.

rIlliis'slide-valve'is'mounted upon the inner end of an" outwardly extending valve steini-13- having its-'outer ends'eazted and slidableiin a socket-l -14- of arfcap section -15- which is' screwed' or otherwise removably seeured in the outer end of the valve-'case shown in Fig. 2.

The outer endi ofthe valve-case -z'5-V is somewhat enlarged or a greaterY diameter than ai'portion'thereof `which passes through Vthe'j am nut 8;- arnd outer: and inner. walls ofthe heating chamber -2'-, said enlarged portion'of the valve-case being'adaptedito receive an enlarged part -13- of the:valve stenr--13 anda portionof a` roclr shaft 16- shown in Figs;-2and13.

The'extremeouter end of the valve stem 13- is reduced" in'E diameter to correspond approximately to'thediaineter of the-socket -lllin which itv is slidable to assistin guidingthe valve in its`opening and closing movements.`

A' coil spring --18-d isy interposed' betweenlthe inner face ofthe cap #15- and outer 'end'of thelenlarigement 13'- around the reducedi portion l17- for yieldingly holding the'valve 124- in`| itslclosed position against the' valve seatf --`ll-.

'Ihejrock-A shaft' 4G- isjournaled in1 the opposite Walls ofi the valve-case -5`- at substantially rightangles tothe axis ofthe val've stem -ll-andf at one sidethereof and isprovided intermediateA itscndswith a cam orfcrank arm 5167 projecting into a recess 1-19- inl the adjacent side'. of the enlarged portionnof the valve stem so that the` rocking movement ofthe shaft -16- in opposite directions will'cause the camj member --16fto` engage one or'the other of theoppositeendWalls oftlie recess 19- for shiftingf the valve reverse( directions or more L properly, for 'opening the valve againstthe action; ofi the spring ^18'-.

One end of the rock shaft -16- is journaled in a complementary socket -20- in one side of the valve-case 5-, the other end of said rock shaft being journaled in a suitable bushing -2lto extend outwardly beyond said bushing which in turn is screwed or` otherwise removably secured in the adjacent side of the valve-case,' asshown more clearly in Fig. 3.

The intermediate portion of the rock shaft 46- -within the 'valve-case -5- an d upon which the cam 1W- is mounted is somewhat largerin diameter than the remaining portions vofsaid shaft so as to form opposite endlthrust bearings for a purpose presently described.

An end-'thrust bearingl washer -22- is interposed between the outer end of the en# larged intermediate portionl of the shaft --16- and innerV end face ofthe bushing 21- while the-opposite end of the shaft issurroimded-by a coil spring '-23- inter'- posed between the adjacent end ofthe enlarged portion of said shaft and adjacent side Vall of the valve-case for yieldingly holding the shaft'in engagement with the bearing washer 22'- and incidentally holding the bearing washer against the bushing.

The adjacent face of the bushing and the intermediate portionv of the shaftfdlm is provided with annular beads -24- to rcduee friction between those parts and the bearing washer 22- thereby permitting the shaft -16-to be turned more freely without lost motionlthan would be possible withoutthe use of the annular beadn --24 washer Q2- and spring -23-- The outer end 25- of the rock shaft -16-isa1igi1lar or square in cross section for receiving one end of a crank arm w-26- which is held in place upon the shaft -16- by a lock nut -27- engaging the outer threaded end of saidlshaft.

The other end of the crank arm n26- is provided with an aperture -28- for receiving one end of an operating member H-29--1havingi a shoulder -30 engaging the upper face` of the crank arm whereby the downward movement ofthe operating rod -29- will cause a similar rockingmovement of the arm-25- and shaft #1G-for openingthe valve-12- against the action ofthe spring -18-.

Operation Assuming that steam` is present in the chamber -2- and that the garment or1 other fabric-to be moistened is placed upon the upper surface ofthe steaming boardior buck -1- and that the valve l2-- is in its normal closed position, then, whenit is desired tomoisten the garment,the rod- 29- will be'depressed thereby'effecting acorrespondingr` rocking' movement'. of thef crank arm 26- and shaft 16- to cause the cam member -16- to engage the lowe1` wall of the recess -l3- and thereby to open the valve 12- against the action of the spring -18- This opening of the valve #12- allows Y the steam to pass from the chamber -2- through the branch passages -10- and exit passage -9- into the distributing chamber -3- and thence through suitable passages, not shown, into the chamber 3'- from which the steam is free to escape through the exit openings in the upper wall Vo said chamber to the garment to meisten the latter to render it more pliable preparatory to pressing, shaping and drying.

This steam-controlling device is particularly applicable in the use of steam-distributing chambers of garment pressing machines but obviously may be used in many other relations for controlling other fluids without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is A steaming valve for garment pressing machines comprising a tubular valve case having one end closed and provided with a laterally projecting chambered offset, and an. opening through its other end and provided with a valve-seat surrounding the in,- ner end of said opening` and branch openings adjacent the valve-seat, a valve con-V trolling communication between the branch openings and end opening and having a stem extended beyond the chambered offset. a spring interposed between the closed end oi the valve case and valve stem for closing the valve, said stem having. a recess in one side registering with said oiiset, a rockershaft journaled in said offset at right angles to the valve stem and provided with a radially projecting crank arm engaging in said recess for opening-the valve, and means for rocking said shaft.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of J une, 1929.

HERBERT G. BEEDE. 

